


A Certain Order of Importance

by Ham940



Category: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun | A Certain Scientific Railgun
Genre: F/F, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29841072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ham940/pseuds/Ham940
Summary: “Kuroko, if I were to bring calamity to Academy City, as a Judgement officer, what would you do?”
Relationships: Misaka Mikoto & Shirai Kuroko, Misaka Mikoto/Shirai Kuroko
Comments: 9
Kudos: 22





	A Certain Order of Importance

Misaka sighed as she laid on her bed, still fully clothed, staring up at the ceiling as the light of the small table lamp on the opposite side of the room flickered, sending shadows darting across her field of vision. Kuroko was still investigating the many cases of arson, and was not likely to sleep for some time; Misaka had left no evidence, but Kuroko was not the sort of person who would care about things like that. If there was no evidence, she would find some; because there was always evidence. And that was one of the things that Misaka admired about Kuroko, even if it worked against her in this case.

Because she needed to leave. And she couldn’t leave if Kuroko was awake, because she’d worry about her. Misaka knew that Kuroko wanted to wait until Misaka was ready to tell her what it was that was troubling her, but her patience was running low. Misaka knew how stubborn Kuroko could be, and the likelihood of her covertly teleport following Misaka was… too high to take that risk.

Misaka closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing sound of Kuroko rapidly tapping away at her laptop. If her plan went well, this would be the last time she would be able to. The last time she’d ever be able to see Kuroko again. The last time she’d ever be able to see Kuroko again…

She shot up, clutching at her chest. _Why did that thought specifically hurt?_ “Onee-sama? Are you alright?” Misaka looked backwards, seeing that Kuroko had swung around on her chair, a look of worry etched across her features, cutting through the weariness that Misaka had thought would be dominant.

Misaka let her hands fall into her lap, forcing herself to smile slightly. “I’m fine. I’ve just… not eaten for a while.” Her strained smile fell when she realised what she had said. Kuroko shook her head, leaving her chair and sitting on the bed opposite.

“Onee-sama, I won’t pressure you to tell me whatever it is that’s troubling you. Remember that, if you want to, you can talk to me about anything. However, I _will_ pressure you to take of yourself. Eating is important, sleep is also important; I can tell you haven’t been getting nearly enough.” Kuroko sighed as well, running a hand raggedly through her hair. “Onee-sama, you always exude an air of confidence, like you know that no one can beat you. And whilst I’m glad to see that you’re not getting too cocky… this you worries me.”

Misaka sighed, a bittersweet smile spreading across her face. “Kuroko, if I were to bring calamity to Academy City, as a Judgement officer, what would you do?”

A frown developed on Kuroko’s face. “Is this about the vending machine again, Onee-sama? I have said multiple times, you need to refrain from doing tha-“

“That vending machine took my 10,000 yen bill! I am justified!” Kuroko giggled slightly at her outburst. _At least she’s still capable of feeling._ “But I meant something bigger than that.”

Kuroko stood up, standing straight and tall, pulling on her armband. “No matter who it is, when it is, or where it is, I will do my duty- ”

Misaka smiled sadly, as if she was expecting this answer. “I thought as muc-“

“To defend my Onee-sama, life and death, body and soul, lawful or illegal, no matter the cost.”

Misaka’s jaw dropped. “Kuroko? What are you saying? That sort of talk could get you fired from Judgement!”

Kuroko simply shrugged, sitting back down on her bed. “Onee-sama, if you think that I value my position at Judgement more than I value you, then you don’t know me very well.” 

Misaka continued to stare at her. “But Kuroko, the stuff I’m talking about...”

Kuroko waved her hand dismissively, leaning backwards on her arms. “Onee-sama, I am on your side. Especially since the level upper situation, I have been becoming more and more aware of the dark side of Academy City. If you think that this is the best course of action, whatever _this_ is, then I will support you. Even if it’s just the two of us against the entire city.”

Misaka reeled, waving her hands in front of her. “No no, you can’t just go and throw your life away like that-“

Misaka suddenly had her field of vision obscured. A very, _very_ angry Kuroko was all she could see. “And yet you can? Why the double-standards? Because, as a level 5, you should be the one protecting me? Onee-sama, I am a professionally trained Judgement officer, and I’m a level 4. I won’t pretend to be as strong as you, but I can hold my own; I don’t need to be baby-coddled.”

Misaka averted her eyes, her face for some reason heating up. “This is a problem I started on my own, I will finish it on my own. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Kuroko shook her head, incredulous. “And the same thing goes for me! You couldn’t forgive yourself if you took me wherever it is you’re going and I got hurt, I couldn’t forgive myself if I just sat here as you left one day and just... never came back.”

Misaka’s eyes widened, looking back at Kuroko to see tears welling up. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in for a hug as she broke down. “Kuroko, I didn’t know-“

Kuroko shook her head. “Sorry. I’m meant to be acting strong for you, Onee-sama, and I end up breaking down like this...”

Misaka made a noise somewhere in the back of her throat that seemed to be something along the lines of denial. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I was so preoccupied that I didn’t notice how my actions were hurting you...”

Misaka wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, entwined in each other's arms, repeatedly apologising to each other. However, she eventually worked up the courage needed. The courage needed to share her problems.

———

“ACCELERATOR!”

The boy mentioned turned around, the look of displeasure on his facing instantly turning to amusement. “Yo! Original! Came to watch the show? Don’t worry, I’ll make it _real_ entertaining for ya.”

Misaka spat at the floor, eyeing him with disgust. “I’m here to stop you from ever killing another Sister.”

Accelerator laughed, a high pitched sound that rattled the bones of anyone within earshot. “I thought we had already established that you can’t beat me? Don’t tell me you’re planning to commit suicide, Railgun, eh?!”

He returned his attention to the Sister on the ground in front of him, planning to break Misaka’s spirit before he broke her, when he realised something; the Sister had disappeared. His face fell. “Huh?”

“JUDGEMENT! I suggest you come quietly!”

Accelerator spun around, his eyes landing on a young girl in the same uniform as Misaka, standing defensively over the sister that had just been at his feet. He clicked his tongue. “A teleporter, huh? What a pain in the ass. Though do you really think an extra person would actually give you an advantage?”

Kuroko’s hand swept across her thigh, teleporting a few of her trusty metal darts in front of her. She grabbed them out of the air, preparing her calculations for subduing this criminal. He was a psychopathic mass murderer, and the first ranked level 5. This was no time to be gentle. She had to do as much damage as possible without killing him; trying to pin him down by his clothes would prove a waste of time, potentially fatal.

She only had one choice. She had to teleport the darts directly into his body. Kuroko usually didn’t like doing this, but she prepared herself, mentally steeling against the regret she had about causing major bodily harm, as she teleported the dart into human flesh, biting into the bone...

... of her own shoulder.

She screamed, clutching at her arm as blood poured from it, collapsing to her knees. Misaka stared horrified, before a piercing laugh from Accelerator cut through both the scream and Misaka’s thoughts.

“Stupid girl! Vectors in 11 dimensions are still vectors! Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to reflect them?” Misaka sunk to her knees as she realised what this meant. Her carefully thought out plan, laid to waste because of a misunderstanding she had?

Accelerator stamped his foot, a crack running from where the impact towards where Kuroko was. Misaka started forwards, but it was too late; before she could even get close, the crack reached Kuroko, sending her flying in a horrific explosion of blood and organs, strands of stringy muscle flying through the sky like the stands of coloured paper that come out of party poppers.

The smell hit Misaka first; after that, an eye, smack dab in the middle of her forehead, before falling to the ground at the same time as Misaka.

Misaka dry-heaved, a result of not having eaten for a long time. But she didn’t think about that. Only one thing was running through her thoughts, again and again and again; _I killed her._

_I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her._

_It was a mistake to have opened up about the Sisters._

“Oh, was that too gruesome for you, Railgun?”

_It was a mistake to have suggested Kuroko help her fight._

“She popped like a pinata, didn’t she?”

_It was a mistake to have ever got involved with the Sisters._

“Oh, are you broken already? I wanted to have some fun...”

_It was a mistake to have ever become a level 5._

Misaka roared, a hoarse scream that resounded for miles around. “ACCELERATOR!” Iron sand whipped up, emerging from the stony ground as she gathered it, preparing for an attack.

Accelerator merely sniggered at her. “Oh? You still have some fight left in you? This oughta be interesting...”

Misaka sent the raging waves of iron sand crashing into Accelerator, but as expected, they simply came flying back, rending cloth, flesh, bone all the same. Misaka’s last image was of Accelerator standing there, laughing maniacally.

———

“Onee-sama!”

Misaka started, throwing off her covers and shooting upright. She collided with something; opening her eyes proved that to be Kuroko.

_Kuroko? But she died... wait, I died..._

Kuroko sat on the ground, nursing her head. “Onee-sama, I wake you up from a nightmare, and this is how you repay me?”

Misaka sighed with relief. _It was just a nightmare._ “Sorry, Kuroko. I thought you might have been doing something inappropriate.”

Kuroko puffed out her cheeks indignantly, placing her hands on her hips. “Onee-sama, I would not do something so unsightly as to take advantage of you whilst you where sleepi-“

Kuroko was cut off by Misaka sliding off her bed so that they were level with each other, before throwing her arms around her neck, pulling her in tight. “O-Onee-sama?”

Misaka shook her head. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Kuroko snapped out of her stupor. Aside from this unexpected contact that _Misaka_ initiated, it was obvious to her that whatever dream her Onee-sama was having was not a pleasant one. And Kuroko didn’t want to ruin the hug they were sharing now, so she reeled in her lust and simply hugged her back, whispering comforting things into her ear that didn’t really make any sense.

Eventually, Misaka broke away, her eyes slightly puffy. Kuroko smiled at her. “Do you wish to talk about it, Onee-sama?”

Misaka shook her head, standing up. “Sorry, Kuroko, but I have an errand I need to run.”

Misaka was even more determined than ever. That, no matter what, she would prevent Kuroko from getting involved with the dark side of Academy City.

Even if it killed her.

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings once again,  
> This was longer than my previous one, and was less fluffy as well. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm working on a longer, multi-chapter story. My next post will probably be the first chapter of that.


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